Adam Schiff claims primary residences in Maryland and California

November 2, 2023

Adam Schiff

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

California Congressman Adam Schiff, who is currently running for a United States Senate seat, has claimed a home he owns in Maryland as his primary residence for more than a decade, mortgage records show. [CNN]

Schiff, who represents a Los Angeles area district, has also claimed a condo he owns in Burbank to be his primary residence. The Democratic representative has signed documents asserting both his Maryland and Burbank homes as his primary residence.

A review of comments and photos on social media, as well as records, indicates Schiff makes his full-time home in Maryland. The condo is only 650 square feet, compared to the 3,420-square-foot Maryland home. 

Deed records show Schiff designated the Maryland home as his primary residence in 2003. In 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, Schiff refinanced his mortgage and again indicated the Maryland home was his primary residence.

Los Angeles County deed records for Schiff’s Burbank condo were notarized in Maryland. The records also list Schiff’s Maryland home as an address the documents were being returned to. 

Tax records indicate Schiff paid California property taxes in 2017 with a check featuring his Maryland address. 2017 was the only year he paid his California property taxes with a personal check.

For years, Schiff has taken a homeowner’s tax exemption on his Burbank condo, claiming it as his primary residence for a $7,000 reduction in his tax bill. Schiff did not take an exemption on his Maryland home.

Marisol Samayoa, a spokesperson for Schiff’s campaign, said the congressman’s primary residence is in California. 

“Adam’s primary residence is Burbank, California, and will remain so when he wins the Senate seat,” Samayoa stated in an email to CNN. “As Adam has discussed openly many times over the years, including in his recent New York Times best-selling book, he and Eve made the difficult decision to move their family to the D.C. area to spend more time with his children while doing his job.”

Samayoa said both of Schiff’s properties were claimed as primary residences for loan purposes. 

“Adam’s California and Maryland addresses have been listed as primary residences for loan purposes because they are both occupied throughout the year and to distinguish them from a vacation property,” Samayoa wrote. 

Last month, Gov. Gavin Nesom appointed Sen. Laphonza Butler to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Dianne Feinstein. Butler was also living in Maryland when Newsom appointed her. She then re-registered to vote in California.

Schiff is running the Democratic primary for the Senate seat currently occupied by Butler. Other challengers in the race include congresswomen Barbara Lee and Katie Porter. 


Loading...
21 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

If the Republicans dislike the state’s representatives so much, they should run a decent candidate that actually believes in climate change, isn’t eager to punish women who seek abortions, doesn’t want to privatize social security and is willing to back up our allies such as Ukraine and Israel. Unfortunately, until such candidates materialize, I will be reading condemnations of Democratic office holders on this blog for years to come.


Understand how folks would be questioning, but has to be common in Congress with beltway living way better than say isolation in western Nebraska (not that there is anything wrong with western Nebraska).

And what is the exact legal definition of “primary residence”? Can you have a “winter primary residence” and a “summer primary residence”? A working season “primary” address that differs? Is it the address you claim on your taxes?

I know the term “primary residence” seems straight forward, but we live in a political climate where Bill Clinton asks “define sex”.


Since some of these people can’t define a woman, including our newest Supreme Court justice, good look getting them to define a primary residence


These guy is the biggest Weasel ever and you either live one place primarylly or not. You can’t even claim to be a resident of a state unless you live there over half the yr so he as most politicians get away with playing the system


Politicians and the super rich, we have the best Congress money can buy.


I don’t like this guy but in his defense I believe what he is doing is perfectly legal. This validates that he is a smart guy but as we all know, it is the smart people that cause problems.


Many get hung up on legal and right, just because its one doesnt make it the other.


Adam Schiff has served as a CA Representative to the U.S. House since 2001 – he would be stupid if he didn’t live in the Maryland/DC area. Before that he was a representative in the California Legislature from 1996 – 2000. He has represented CA well as Chair of the Intelligence Committee and serving on the Appropriations and Foreign Affairs committees. Schiff has lived in California since 1970 and graduated with dintinction from Stanford University. He continues to represent the people of California with integrity and, I’m sure, will continue to do so as a Senator!!


Sorry, this is a pro-Katie Porter audience, she has far more integrity and will be a better senator than Schiff!!


“served as a CA Representative to the U.S. House since 2001”, another poster child for term limits.


Can you have primary residences, similar to how snow birds have two residences, or do you have to select only one home as primary and the others as secondary?


You can own as many residences as you want and/or can afford. But only one must be designated as your “primary” residence, for (among others) tax and voting purposes, etc. That’s why it’s referred to as “primary.”


Many in Congress, such as Bernie Sanders, have three, four, or more residences, and yet they keep telling us we need to pay more taxes on our one.


Please tell us all about how Bernie Sanders is raising your county property taxes?


Then there is the California reps… “Kevin McCarthy’s strange real estate saga: A luxury condo in D.C. and a tract house in California

“For at least the past two months, McCarthy has stayed in Republican pollster Frank Luntz’s 7,000-square-foot condo in the Clara Barton at Penn Quarter development in downtown Washington, an immaculate, gilded showplace with soaring marble columns and a sweeping staircase. A McCarthy spokesperson said the lawmaker paid “a fair market price” for a room in Luntz’s condo, but that claim has come under scrutiny, since the minority leader is not a wealthy individual. The Los Angeles Times notes that McCarthy reported a negative net worth in 2015, but by the following year, “he’d gotten rid of a $100,000 mortgage, and his net worth was up to at least $80,000. Along with a mortgage of at least $50,000, McCarthy owed at least $50,000 on a student loan he took for his children.”


This is blatant deception and fraud. He should be disqualified and hit with criminal charges.


When the FBI is done with the fraudulent Orange Cheeto, perhaps there will be time to charge all of the members that have multiple homes (that’s all of them right?).


Please let Maryland have him!


Great reporting Josh about the Phoney sack of Schiff.


Great reporting would let us know if this was unique behavior or standard operating procedure for most in his position, which I suspect to be the case. Without that context it can appear as partisan hit piece disguising itself as journalism reducing its informational value.

Most are sack’s of Schiffs.